Five Uzbeks and One Tajik Escape Russian Penal Colony

On the morning of October 26, news broke that six prisoners had escaped from a penal colony in Russia’s Lipetsk region. The escapees—five from Uzbekistan and one from Tajikistan—had been planning their escape for over six months. They stole tools seven months prior and used them to dig two tunnels. The Lipetsk prison is where the infamous Aleksey Sherstobitov is serving a 23-year sentence. Sherstobitov, known as 'Lyosha the Soldier', was a notorious hitman in the 1990s, working for the infamous Orekhovskaya crime group. Law enforcement has detained five of the six prisoners, who escaped through a dug tunnel. The prisoners, all convicted of rape and drug trafficking, had planned to reach the Kazakhstan border but only managed to travel a few dozen kilometers toward Tambov and Moscow. The search for the remaining escapee is ongoing. A criminal case has been opened for negligence against the colony officials who allowed the prisoners to escape. If found guilty they could face up to seven years in prison under Article 293 of the Russian Criminal Code.

Uzbekistan Adopts Law to Protect Prisoners’ Rights

Uzbekistan has introduced a new law to protect prisoners' rights. The new piece of legislation is formally called the law “On amendments and supplements to the Criminal-Executive Code of Uzbekistan aimed at ensuring the rights and legal interests of prisoners.” The Criminal Executive Code defines prisoners' rights to appeal to the ombudsman through the appeals box. Appeal boxes to the ombudsman will be installed in each residential sector of the Uzbekistan penal institutions, industrial zones, and buildings intended for holding short- and long-term meetings, where it is convenient for prisoners to leave appeals. In addition, appeal boxes for the children's ombudsmen will be installed in the educational colonies. It is reported that the boxes are opened only by the ombudsman, the children’s ombudsman, or the staff of their secretariats.